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During the fall in the Uji district, traditional center of the Japanese tea industry, tea farmers turn to the harvest of tea twigs for Kukicha, “the peasant’s drink”, so-called because farmers drank it after selling the leaves to sophisticated urbanites as a cash crop. The farmers carefully select 40% medium 3-year, 40% thick 10-year, and 20% thin twigs and leaves aged 1 year, before gently roasting each variety separately to bring out its rich flavor. Because caffeine is concentrated in the leaves, twig tea is low in caffeine and can be enjoyed even at night. Haiku Organic Japanese Kukicha Twig Tea teabags are always two full grams of 100% Japanese Organic Kukicha Twig Tea, the finest quality in the world. Try it and you will understand why true connoisseurs of Japanese twig tea will drink nothing else.

Miso Master Organic Chickpea (Soy-Free) Miso uses garbanzo beans (chickpeas) instead of soybeans as its base. It is soy-free so that those consumers on restricted diets because of soy allergies also can partake of the many health benefits of eating miso. Miso Master produces the only organic soy-free miso in the natural food industry.

The unique fragrance and deliciously nutty flavor of Emperor’s Kitchen Organic Toasted Sesame Oil adds a new dimension to stir fries, salad dressings, marinades, sauces, and baked dishes. The labor-intensive traditional process of making our sesame oil results in a fresh toasted flavor and silky texture, with none of the harsh overtones of the chemical processing often used by commercial producers.

By early summer in the Uji district, traditional center of the Japanese tea industry, the tea farmers harvest the larger, older tea leaves and small twigs for Hojicha. They steam this mixture to prevent fermentation, mix it with volcanic sand, and roast it in revolving ovens. The sand, later removed, facilitates slow, even heating. This gives the tea its distinctive smoky or nutty flavor, The result is unparalleled taste and quality, as perfectly balanced as a poem. In order to insure the richest, most authentic flavor, Haiku Roasted Green Tea teabags are always two full grams of 100% Nagata Organic Japanese Hojicha Tea, the finest quality in the world. Try our HAIKU Organic Japanese Hojicha Roasted Green Tea and you will understand why true connoisseurs of Japanese roasted green tea will drink nothing else.

The taste of real wasabi is like a warm explosion in your mouth that quickly fades to a lingering slightly sweet aftertaste unlike the fake wasabi substitutes made up of horseradish and mustard. Because it is so difficult to grow, even in Japan only 5% of the sushi shops serve authentic wasabi. Wasabia japonica was known in Japan as “the King of Herbs”, and has the highest level of isoflavones after soybeans. Wasabi produces much of its distinctive pungent odor and taste from complex sulfur compounds that are produced when it is crushed or grated. These compounds, found at a higher concentration in wasabi than in almost any other food, help control many destructive pathogens and give a scientific underpinning to the traditional use of wasabi as an accompaniment to eating raw fish in the Japanese diet.

Emerald Cove Pacific Arame is one of many species of seaweed used in Asian cuisine. Arame comes in dark brown strands, has a mild, semi-sweet flavor, and a firm texture. It is added to appetizers, casseroles, muffins, pilafs, soups, toasted dishes, and many other types of food. Its mild flavor makes it adaptable to many uses.

Emperor’s Kitchen Traditional Kuzu is a culinary superfood. Kuzu is traditionally used in Japan and China as a culinary and confectionery thickening starch as well as a valued medicinal remedy. Kuzu’s mild flavor makes it the perfect thickening agent for sauces, gravy, glazes, soups, stews and even cake icings and pudding. You can also use kudzu as a coating for frying your favorite vegetables, fish, tofu or tempeh. In their book, Culinary Treasures of Japan, John and Jan Belleme share a host of natural medicinal remedies from allergies, bronchial asthma and circulatory system issues to migraine headaches and high blood pressure.

Emerald Cove Organic Pacific Untoasted Nori is a delicious and popular sea vegetable for making homemade sushi rolls. In addition to being used in sushi, nori is also shredded and sprinkled on rice dishes, green salads and stir fries. Finely shredded nori often appears as a condiment, thanks to its unique flavor and crunchy texture. Some consumers also greatly enjoy eating whole sheets dipped in soy sauce and umeboshi vinegar. Emerald Cove Organic Pacific Untoasted Nori is the same product as our Emerald Cove Organic Pacific Toasted Sushi Nori, but is not toasted and therefore will not lose its freshness even after repeated openings and closings of its ziplock bag. Before using, each sheet must be waved for a second or two over a gas or electric eye to toast it.

Emerald Cove Organic Pacific Toasted Sushi Nori is cultivated from certified organic nori spores gathered from the previous year’s crop. Most Westerners are familiar with nori because it is used to wrap sushi, although the distinctive umami, slightly grassy flavor is also delicious eaten plain as well. In addition to being used in sushi, nori is also shredded and sprinkled on rice dishes, green salads, and stir fries. Finely shredded nori often appears as a condiment, thanks to its unique flavor and crunchy texture. And some consumers enjoy eating whole sheets dipped in soy sauce or umeboshi vinegar.

Emperor’s Kitchen Umeboshi Plums are Japanese salt-pickled plums with a delightfully tart, salty and tangy taste. Emperor’s Kitchen Umeboshi Plums are made in the centuries-old traditional way, and are rich in beneficial bacteria. They are a lively and versatile seasoning that adds a pleasant tartness to salad dressings, cooked vegetables, and sauces.

Miso Master Organic Traditional Country Barley Miso is considered a Long-Term miso. It is aged naturally without temperature control for 12 months through four seasons in giant four-ton, hand-crafted Cypress, Redwood, or Fir barrels. It has a high soybean con­tent in relation to the barley koji (grain inoculated with aspergillus spores). Because soy­beans are much more difficult to ferment, with their high protein and fat content, than the high-carbohydrate grains, this miso variety requires a prolonged aging period. This gives the aspergillus spores and lactobacillus bacteria sufficient time to completely break down the complex protein and fat molecules into their more digestible constituents.

Miso Master Organic Brown Rice Miso is considered a Long-Term miso. We don’t use the word “Traditional” with this variety because Japanese miso makers never made miso using brown rice, but our methods here are the same as with our other two Long-Term Misos. This is our longest aged, darkest, strongest, and richest miso.

Emperor’s Kitchen Organic Chopped Garlic offers the ultimate ready-to-use convenience to the busy home cook. Bring tasty home cooked meals to the table quickly and easily with these great time savers. Use Emperor’s Kitchen Organic Garlic products to make delicious stress-free meals that give you convenience without sacrificing quality. You get fresh, good-for-you instant flavor with no fuss, no mess, no odors, and no clean-up – just add to your favorite dishes right out of the jar. Follow the lead of Sandra Lee and other popular TV Food Network hit chefs such as Rachael Ray and Robin Miller whose techniques combine fresh ingredients with selected store-bought items out of your pantry. The result is mouthwatering meals and desserts, prepared in minutes, that taste like they were made from scratch.

Several weeks in early spring, farmers in the Uji district, traditional center of the Japanese tea industry, farmers gather the first flush of new buds and leaves for processing into Sencha, the highest grade of Japanese tea for export. The bud and top two leaves are cut at the peak of flavor and quickly pan-fired to halt oxidation of the precious polyphenols. Next the buds and leaves are rolled into tight curls, slowly dried,and immediately packed to seal in the fresh taste and aroma. In order to insure the richest, most authentic green tea flavor, HAIKU teabags are always two full grams of 100% Japanese Organic Sencha Tea, the finest quality in the world.Try our HAIKU Organic Japanese Sencha Green Tea and you will understand why true connoisseurs of Japanese roasted green tea will drink nothing else.

Emperor’s Kitchen Organic Dried Whole Shiitake Mushrooms are grown in Qingyuan County in a remote area of Zhejiang Province to strict Chinese Government Organic Standards. Enjoy the unique umami flavor of shiitake mushrooms in your favorite vegetable stir-fry, sauces, gravies, vegetable stocks for soups and stews and add to your Sunday morning scrambled tofu. We love to add them to our daily Miso Master Miso soup.